In 2022, renown Duke University Hospital denied a 14-year-old North Carolina girl a kidney transplant because of her COVID-19 vaccination status. Now, her parents are trying to ensure that never happens to another family again.
Yulia Hicks was born in Ukraine and adopted by North Carolina couple Chrissy and Lee Hicks in 2021.
The Hickses knew that Yulia had a kidney condition when they adopted her. Her condition, a rare, degenerative disorder known as Senior-Loken Syndrome, meant that she would eventually need a kidney transplant. Since she was receiving treatment at Duke University Hospital, the Hickses sought Yulia’s transplant there.
Duke, however, refused to provide Yulia with the life-saving surgery. A Duke representative told the Hickses, “If you don’t follow our [COVID-19] recommendations, then Yulia can’t be a transplant candidate here.”
Yulia had been receiving treatment at Duke for two years, and officials there were aware of her vaccine status. They were also aware that she had had a case of COVID-19, acquiring a certain level of immunity through it. So, the decision to deny her a transplant blindsided Yulia’s parents. Lee Hicks said, “It wasn't a requirement. It was … a recommendation … until the very end.”
It was a dark time for the Hicks family, but then something good happened. The media attention from their struggle with Duke Hospital helped them find "an amazing live donor," and Yulia received her life-saving kidney transplant at East Carolina University Health. Despite Duke University Hospital’s actions, Yulia will live.
While it is good that Yulia was able to receive life-saving treatment eventually, Duke University Hospital should not have denied her that treatment in the first place. Yulia is not alone. 17-year-old Jenna Campau was denied a kidney transplant in Michigan when her parents declined COVID vaccination. Leilani Lutali was denied a kidney transplant in Colorado unless her and her donor agreed to COVID vaccinations. D.J. Ferguson was denied a heart transplant over his vaccination status and died in a Boston Hospital.
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Hospitals across America have refused transplants to dying patients over the COVID vaccine. Lawmakers in North Carolina have the opportunity to lead the nation in ending this unjust practice.
Last year, legislators advanced identical bills in both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly to prevent hospitals and other healthcare providers from refusing medical treatment based on a patient's COVID-19 vaccination status.
The bills (called “No CV19 Discrimination/Organ Transplantation” in the Senate and simply “Yulia's Law” in the House) started with a finding that “a refusal to submit to a COVID-19 vaccination or series of vaccinations does not diminish an individual's right to health care.” They would then add teeth to that finding by making it unlawful for healthcare providers to “consider an individual ineligible to donate or receive an anatomical gift or organ transplant” based on “an individual's refusal to submit to a COVID-19 vaccination,” among other protections.
Yulia’s Law advanced rapidly in the House. It was filed in early April 2023 and came up for a final vote less than a month later. The House then approved it on a 91-25 vote, with 20 Democrats joining all Republicans voting “aye.” So far, so good.
Unfortunately, the Senate has been negligent.
The Senate version of the bill was sent to that chamber’s Rules Committee, where it is said bills go to die, instead of the Health Care Committee. It has languished in Rules since April of 2023.
The House sent its version of Yulia’s Law to the Senate on May 3, 2023, but it was also sent to the Senate Rules graveyard.
If senators decide to report Yulia’s Law out of committee, there is little doubt it would receive broad bipartisan support as it did in the House. The question is, will Senate leaders allow it to come up for a vote? They should do so before the legislative short session ends this summer.
Yulia Hicks and any other victims of COVID vaccine fanaticism deserve at least that much.
Andy Jackson is Director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation.
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